City Lights and Wine
by InkJackets
Summary: It's summer and the evening air is perfect, and so Nino takes Adrien on a night out in Paris.


**Written for The Nino Zine on tumblr (go check out the whole thing put together by thelastpilot!)**

* * *

'Wayzz!' Nino yelled, excitement thrumming through him. 'Where are you?'

It had been two years since Wayzz had first been given to him by Ladybug, and he was now Nino's permanent companion. They were the best of buds and made a great team, though the little god still struggled occasionally with Nino's rebellious nature.

Wayzz hesitantly peeked out of his hiding place in the bookshelf. 'Master, are you sure you want to do this? Won't you get in trouble for breaking the rules?'

'Nah, li'l dude! My fam won't even know I'm gone.' Nino gave him a mini noogie and Wayzz couldn't help but giggle. 'Besides, you know Adrien needs this more than I do.'

Wayzz struggled to argue with that. The stress of exams had eaten away at everyone this year. But with his father's pressures only increasing and his schedule growing evermore busy, Adrien hadn't been coping well.

Wayzz exhaled as he took in Nino's pleading eyes, failing to hide his smile. 'Oh, very well then.'

_'Yes, _Wayzz!' Nino exclaimed, pumping the air with his fist. '_Shell On!'_

* * *

Nino stood at the base of the Eiffel Tower, Wayzz tucked safely under his cap, and smiled. Summer was here and he loved it. The city bustled with late-night Parisians and tourists alike, the air was lovely and warm — not too humid and no cold breeze, and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. He breathed it all in and waited for Adrien to arrive.

The two of them had been planning this night for a while now. Adrien had let slip that he'd never been out late in town, or rather, his father had never let him, and Nino had been outraged. So they'd come up with a plan to sneak out and meet up.

Nino's smile widened when he spotted Adrien moving through the crowds, a look of awe on his face as he took in the glittering city around him. He laughed when Adrien spied him, waved enthusiastically, and ran over.

The two boys embraced each other.

'Nino, this is _amazing!' _Adrien breathed as he stepped back.

'Summer evenings; I tell you it's when Paris comes _alive_, man.'

'I know, like I've looked down on the world like this before, but to actually be a part of it…' He shook his head and stared hungrily at the sights around him. 'It's amazing!'

'And tonight, it's all ours!'

Nino grinned as Adrien's eyes blazed.

Nino's smile never left Adrien's face as he watched his friend drink in the vibrant world around him. Adrien's grin was infectious and it lit up the night as they explored the city; wandering through the busy streets, eating ice creams and crepes, chatting and laughing and simply enjoying themselves for the first time in a long time.

At one point in the night, Nino pulled out a bottle of wine from his bag. He had laughed as Adrien spluttered saying there's no way he would be allowed to drink that.

'We're seventeen!' Nino had cried out, 'We need to be a little rebellious!'

'Maybe my father was right when he said you're a bad influence.'

'Hell yeah, he was!'

Both boys had burst out laughing.

Nino felt the stress of the last few months melt away as they revelled in the evening air. He could tell Adrien felt the same too. He hadn't seen his friend this alive in a long time; eyes alight and full of a carefree energy that came with being drunk on city lights. And maybe a bit of wine.

Eventually, the boys found themselves sitting on the walls next to the Seine, gazing out at the shifting water, lights casting strange but alluring patterns on its surface. The relaxed sounds of people chatting drifted over and the gentle pounding of music bled out from the bars and clubs and into the evening air. It was a beautiful night.

Nino picked up the bottle of wine sat between them and took a sip. Adrien fell onto his back with a sigh and smiled up at the stars.

Nino lay down next to him and turned his gaze to the night sky. It was a surprisingly clear night for the city; a patch of stars shone overhead and a few stubborn ones glimmered further out. The light pollution illuminated the horizon in a soft orange glow, adding its own strange beauty to the darkness.

'One day,' Adrien said softly, 'I'd like to get out of the city, go to the middle of nowhere, and see the stars for real.' Nino nodded in agreement. 'Did you know,' Adrien continued,' without the light pollution we'd see about two-thousand stars.' Nino whistled. They both fell silent.

'Hey, you know how the sun we see is from about eight minutes ago?' Adrien piped up once more, 'Well that star there? Sirius? It's from eight _years _ago.'

'Seriously?'

'Crazy right? And the furthest star that's ever been observed, called Icarus, is nine-_billion _light-years away! Scientists saw it at a time where our galaxy didn't even exist yet!'

Nino sat up and stared at Adrien, dumbstruck. 'I don't even know if I understand what you just said.' Adrien laughed before sitting up and reaching for the wine. 'How do you know all this?' Nino asked, amazed.

Adrien took a swig from the bottle and shrugged. 'I had a huge space phase when I was little. Couldn't get enough of it. I like legit wanted to be an astronaut,' he smiled to himself.

'What changed your mind?' Nino asked.

Adrien's smiled slipped. 'Nothing, really. I just don't have a choice anymore.' He gazed out at the river and took another little sip of wine. Nino's heart fell.

'Okay but say you did have a choice,' Nino asked. 'Would you still want to be an astronaut?'

Adrien thought about it for a moment. 'You know, I think I wouldn't mind being a professor. My father's pressure ruins it a little, but I actually like studying. It's something I can just throw myself into, and forget about real-life responsibilities for a while.' He spun the bottle in his hands. 'That was the one benefit of being homeschooled. I could study pretty much whatever I wanted and just lose myself to it. And part of the whole space thing was that I loved learning about places that were far from home. It was like, a form of escapism, discovering all the amazing things in the world, in the universe.' He looked down at the wine bottle and sighed. 'I dunno, it sounds kinda nihilistic I guess, but it's comforting knowing that what's going on at home isn't the end of the world. That there's more to life than just the Agreste brand.' Silence swirled between them. Adrien lifted the bottle to his lips and took a sip.

'I have the same deal with music,' Nino said eventually.

Adrien shifted his head to look at his friend. 'Yeah?'

'Yeah.' Nino went oddly quiet. 'It helps me escape the world. Or rather, it lets me create my own worlds. Worlds where I can be free. I dunno, places where I can just _be_, without scorn or judgement… you get me?'

Silence fell between them and the stars twinkled down on them as both boys got lost in their thoughts.

'Remove the "dunno" and that's some solid lyrics right there,' Adrien said.

Nino laughed and gestured at Adrien to give him the wine bottle. He took a swig, letting the rough tannin of the wine rinse out the bitterness in his mouth.

'Is everything all right, Nino?' Adrien asked softly.

Nino looked up. Adrien's eyes were warm and filled with concern.

He hesitated. 'I've just been doing a lot of soul-searching lately.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.' Nino said quietly, not saying anything more.

The water lapped gently at their feet.

'Well, you know I'm here to listen if you ever want to talk about it,' Adrien said gently.

Nino gave him a smile of appreciation. 'Thanks man, I mean it.'

The boys fell into silence once more, but their silence wasn't quiet. Laughter and music drifted down from the street behind them and the soft hum of cars reverberated from across the river. The city lights shone brighter than the stars and lit the world gold, their reflections merging and blurring on the river's surface as it lapped beneath their feet; its soothing noises lulling the boys into contented peace. Yet still, a knot tied itself in Nino's stomach. He closed his eyes and breathed in the warm summer air. It smelt of fruit, and heat, and friendship. He should tell Adrien now, he really should. He stretched his fingers and sighed. But it was scary. He turned his focus back to the glittering world around him before looking at Adrien, at his friend's easy smile and untroubled expression.

A wicked glint appeared in Nino's eye.

'So,' Nino asked, faking casualness as he broke the silence, 'How's everything with Marinette?'

Adrien blanched. Nino grinned.

'I don't know,' Adrien groaned, 'I messed up, man. I messed up big time! I can't believe she had a massive crush on me for like, two years and I didn't realise!'

'How did you not know?' Nino cackled, rocking back and holding his sides.

'Cause I'm an idiot!' Adrien cried to the river. 'You hear that? I'm an _idiot!' _Nino howled with laughter as the water lapped the walls indifferently._'_But then! _But then!' _Adrien continued, 'You wanna hear what's _worse?'_

Nino giggled into the wine bottle, 'She falls for someone else?'

'SHE FALLS FOR SOMEONE ELSE!' Adrien flopped onto his back and threw an arm over his eyes. 'Right as I fall for her.' Nino patted Adrien's head, still chuckling. 'I don't even know who this mystery lover is,' he said.

'Beats me,' Nino shook his head. 'She turns bright red every time I ask her. Not even Alya's been able to get it out of her.'

Adrien sat back up and reached for the wine bottle. 'Ugh, my love life is too depressing.' He took a big mouthful of wine. 'Let's talk about yours instead. How's everything going with Alya?'

'It's…it's going well.' Nino winced. He hadn't meant for his words to come out so sombre.

Adrien shifted his head. 'Is something wrong?'

'No, no, Alya and I are fine. More than that actually. We're in a great place.'

Adrien cocked his head to the side. 'Then why do I get the feeling you aren't telling me something?'

Nino gave a wry smile. 'Because I'm not telling you something.' His smile dropped.

'You want to talk about it?'

Yes? No. I don't know,' he hesitated, 'I do but… I don't know.'

The silence swelled between them, broken only by the splashing of water and the gentle background noises of people partying and enjoying the beautiful summer night.

Adrien didn't say anything, but Nino felt his support and comfort fill the space between them.

Again, it was the perfect moment; the moment he'd been waiting so long for. If he didn't do it now, he didn't think he ever would. And that thought terrified him.

Nino's throat grew tight and his heart thumped in his chest. He inhaled deeply and prepared to lay his heart out bare.

'Hey, Adrien?' his voice was low and trusting and held the weight of the world.

'Yeah?'

'I'm bi.'

Adrien gave a soft smile, 'Oh.'

'Don't tell anyone, okay? I'm not ready for the world to know yet.'

'Okay,' Adrien said simply.

'What…What do you think?'

'What do I think?' Nino felt the tension break inside him as Adrien's heartwarming smile lit him up from the inside. 'Nino, you're my best friend. I love you.'

Nino felt a lump rise in his throat. 'Thanks, man. I love you too.'

Adrien passed him the bottle and Nino downed the last of the wine.

'Woo!' he cried as he planted the empty bottle down. 'What do you wanna do now?'

Adrien's eyes widened with surprise. 'Our night isn't over yet?'

'Hell no, our night is just beginning!'

Nino blinked in worried surprise as tears appeared in Adrien's eyes.

'Thanks for this night, Nino. I really needed it,' Adrien said quietly.

Nino pulled Adrien in and embraced him. 'Right back at you, bro,' he said, holding him tight. 'This has honestly been one of the best nights of my life.'


End file.
